May 21 (UPI) — Fire crews rescued eight teenagers who were stuck on the “Joker” roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas for nearly four hours early Saturday.
The Arlington Fire Department dispatched firefighters to the theme park at 12:30 a.m. after one of the cars on the brand new roller coaster came to a stop near the top of the 120-foot-tall coaster.
A group of high school students was stuck on the ride while attending the theme park’s “Senior Nite” event that granted high school seniors special access to the park from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Firefighters called a technical rescue team to help remove the eight teens from the coaster by 3:40 a.m., as stormy weather approached the area.
“At the time the roller coaster was stuck, there was a severe thunderstorm moving through the Arlington area,” Deputy Fire Chief Mike French told The Dallas Morning news. “But it didn’t stop us.”
No one was injured in the incident, and Six Flags staff gave the teens water and items to keep them warm as the wet weather swept through.
“The safety of our guests is our highest priority,” Six Flags spokeswoman Sharon Parker said. “Our team will determine what triggered one of the safety features of the ride to stop the car during the cycle as soon as the guests have safely been removed from the ride.”
.@ArlingtonTxFire USAR responded to roller coaster rescue last night. No injuries. Refer media inquiries to @SixFlagsOverTX
